Chapter 16

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The attackers punched and kicked from all angles, attacking Helian Huowu from every tricky direction. For a moment, the air around her was filled with the sound of fists and palms, though their power was not very strong, it was enough to hold back her advance. Moreover, Xu Hao was constantly restraining her from the side, patiently waiting for Helian Huowu to reveal a fatal weakness.

The guy with the pointed nose and monkey-like face became even more excited at this scene, roaring and grinding his teeth, showing off his might with great satisfaction.

Helian Huowu bit her lips tightly, the strange flames in her eyes burning even brighter. She disregarded everything and mobilized the mystic energy in her dantian, desperately channeling it into her palms.

A fiery red glow, burning with intense heat, swept out with the force of a thousand troops, fiercely pushing back the few lackeys who had closed in on her, allowing her to take another step toward Chen Hao.

Those lackeys, like blood-sucking flies, swarmed forward again, patiently depleting Helian Huowu's mystic energy. They seemed to have the upper hand, toying with her.

A few steps away felt like a thousand mountains and rivers, every step a struggle.

Helian Huowu's chest heaved violently, her delicate brows tinged with a faint pink, her body burning with a flame that grew dimmer. The heart-wrenching cries of the old lady in her ear made her anxious and furious, her anger like a thunderstorm, flames swirling as she unleashed a move called "Furious Flame," striking the chest of the foremost lackey.

A dull thud echoed as the fire met the air, instantly burning through the void. The lackey spat out a mouthful of blood and stumbled backward, landing on his buttocks.

Her jade palms struck rapidly, her momentum unbroken, her aura like a rainbow. She directly clashed palms with one of them, scorching his hand black and sending him flying, spitting blood, with more breath leaving his body than entering.

The attackers looked at each other in shock, amazed that such a young girl could be so powerful, her future potential boundless. It was a pity that her beauty was destined for a short life.

Xu Hao's sinister smile appeared. His strategy of cutting off the fuel at the source was working well. He had calculated that Helian Huowu would be distracted by her family, looking ahead and behind, unable to handle everything at once. He followed her like a maggot on a bone, slowly channeling mystic energy into his right hand, his palm glowing with a golden light, a shadow of an iron palm gradually rising. He was like a deadly snake, tongue out, waiting for the right moment.

Helian Huowu, already at the end of her strength, felt a sweetness in her throat, the taste of blood filling her mouth. Still, she mustered all her strength, charging forward, her body forming a graceful bow, like a lotus bud blooming, delicate and lively. She struck the pointed-nosed, monkey-faced lackey, dislocating his jaw, and kicked another one away. "Finally, I've saved Big Brother," she thought, her mind relaxing, unaware of the danger lurking behind her.

Xu Hao's dark eyes lit up, the moment perfect. Behind Helian Huowu, he raised his palm high and struck down at her head. The mystic energy he had been building up for so long, hitting her at the perfect moment, would surely seal her fate.

Hu Lingping screamed in terror, her eyes bloodshot, wishing she could die in her place.

Time seemed to freeze.

"Smack!" A dark green stone whirled through the air, perfectly intercepting Xu Hao's palm just before it hit Helian Huowu's head.

Everyone stood dumbfounded, mouths agape, staring in shock. The stone suddenly revealed a small head, its tiny, pea-sized eyes half-closed, as if just waking from a nap. The little eyes blinked, looking at Xu Hao. Daring to disturb Xiao Ba's sleep, it spat a weak stream of saliva at Xu Hao's face. But sensing the tense atmosphere, the head quickly retracted, thudding to the ground.

This turtle was clearly Xiao Ba, a pure-blooded descendant of a divine beast. Before the divine tortoise used its great power to send Chen Mo out, it had passed on its innate abilities to Xiao Ba.

Shrinking the body was one of its abilities. The weak stream of saliva was another. If the old tortoise were to use it, it could easily destroy a city and kill countless beings. But Xiao Ba, being newly born, the "Raging Sea" move was rather comical.

Xu Hao wiped the sticky saliva from his face, his eyes bulging. Shocked, he realized his fatal blow had hit a turtle shell. Who had ruined his plan? He kicked the turtle away, and Xiao Ba spun and landed in the corner of the yard. He had overlooked the fact that a high-level Spirit Apprentice's Iron Sand Palm had not cracked the turtle shell. What kind of turtle had such an unbreakable shell?

Everyone looked toward the source of the flying turtle.

At the gate, a young man in tattered clothes, barefoot, clenched his fists, staring at them with intense eyes, his face covered in a thick layer of dust from rushing here. His eyes, clear and sharp, were filled with a strong killing intent.

Chen Mo stood straight, his mind even more resilient after the trials of life and death. He was like an unsheathed sword, the latent killing aura contained within. Seeing Xu Hao about to deliver a fatal blow, he had no choice but to throw his only weapon, the mystic tortoise Xiao Ba, to prevent the tragedy. Seeing his injured brother, the grief-stricken old lady, and his nearly dead sister, the killing intent in his heart grew like a wild weed, spreading uncontrollably.

"Second Brother." Helian Huowu was the first to react, recognizing Chen Mo, and called out in surprise.

Exhausted from the fight and the tension, she collapsed onto Chen Hao's back, sobbing with relief, "Big Brother, Second Brother is back! He's fine, he's really fine." Just as she had always believed, Chen Mo would not die easily and would surely return.

"Chen Mo?" Everyone's eyes widened. When the Small Heavenly Grotto closed, the disciple who had been spying on the inside was thrown out, and he said he had seen Chen Mo and Chen Ye die inside. How did he get out?

For a moment, the atmosphere froze. Even Xu Hao was stunned. How could a person who was clearly dead suddenly appear?

"Old Lady, Big Brother, Huowu, I'm back."

Chen Mo remained calm, his resolve unshaken. He walked calmly to Helian Huowu's side, his first smile in days appearing as he saw the familiar, dear faces.

He helped each of them up. Chen Mo bent down and carried his brother on his back, his hand gripping Helian Huowu's wrist with a mix of relief and bitterness. His heart was filled with nothing but guilt and pain for his family.

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